Previous Warden theory

[Rasins]

They all still need People.  Which means they are all still limited by the overall rate of Human Reproduction (slower than Fae by design), with the added inefficiency of also needing to hold that resource back to provide food and/or Power.  Im thinking of this in terms of the long-term logistics of fighting a never-ending battle with the Outsiders. 

Separately (because this is an interesting line of thought) int he specific case of Blampires we have it by WOJ that they gain power via straight-up kill count.  The the question becomes "Which is a better weapon: 100 level 1 Blampires or 1 blampire powered up by killing the other 99?

Where do you get this?  I wasn't aware of any real difference when they are breeding with humans.  When they are not, we really don't have any evidence (unless there's something in Cold Case.

In fact, with the Fae being long-lived beings, I would guess that the opposite is true.  Otherwise they'd have over populated the planet already.

[Quantus]

Where do you get this?  I wasn't aware of any real difference when they are breeding with humans.  When they are not, we really don't have any evidence (unless there's something in Cold Case.

In fact, with the Fae being long-lived beings, I would guess that the opposite is true.  Otherwise they'd have over populated the planet already.

Cold Case confirms that a Drive to Reproduce is common throughout the Courts (or at least Winter?) as a necessity for supplying troops.  Combine that with the simple fact that not all Fae (ex. the Rawhead or the Animal-types) cant actually all be birthed by normal mortals, and it seems sound to think that other modes of reproduction would also be leveraged where possible.  So I figure Human-types are going to be hyper-horny (and maybe hyper-fertile?  Can Winter BE Hyper-fertile?), Cat types are going to likely have huge litters (max of normal if not supernaturally advanced), and I tend to picture dewdrop fairies like Toot being born more in a swarm. 

Regardless there is a Court Drive to Reproduce, which by definition means that fae are going to reproduce faster than than their pure-mortal counterparts by some increment (could be tiny, I admit). 

[Kindler]

Separately (because this is an interesting line of thought) int he specific case of Blampires we have it by WOJ that they gain power via straight-up kill count.  The the question becomes "Which is a better weapon: 100 level 1 Blampires or 1 blampire powered up by killing the other 99?

I'd mix it up. 1 Blamp buffed from offing 49 civilians, plus 50 low-rank freshly turned.

For fun, Google "One quintillion electric eels vs. one magma." 4Chan can be a hilarious place on occasion.

[Rasins]

Q - I don't know how many people (humans) you know, but ALL of them are super horny by my estimate.  LOL

As to the "liters" of the Non-humanoid fae, I can agree.

[Quantus]

Q - I don't know how many people (humans) you know, but ALL of them are super horny by my estimate.  LOL

Exactly.  Now take whatever that human level is,and add to it.  Fae nature is an increase to the baseline human drive and so will always and by definition be higher. 

But looking back Im getting us sidetracked.  The original idea was that somebody might have planned a super-army of Vampires to actually end/wint he war at the gates, so they wouldnt have been planning for the same sort of eternal stalemate engagement that Winter has

[LordDresden2]

Sure the warden would be most powerful on the island, but I could see him having skills and abilities off the island. The gatekeeper mans the outer gates, but he is an epic wizard away from them.

But he's not an epic Wizard away from the Gates because he's the Gatekeeper.  It so happens that the Gatekeeper is also an epic Wizard the rest of the time too.  Which could apply to the Warden as well, but doesn't have to apply.

(Maybe 100 years from now, Harry will be an epic-level Wizard away from the Island, too.  Right now he is not.)

[LordDresden2]

Don't think it could be the last time, per this WoJ: http://wordof.jim-butcher.com/index.php/word-of-jim-woj-compilation/woj-on-other-bad-guys-beyond-the-outer-gates-demonreach/

This suggests that Kemmler's last stand was nowhere near Demonreach.

Like Rasins, I don't read that as confirmation...but at the same time it isn't denial, and the 30 October date is interesting.  I could imagine that the Tsar Bomb going off was somehow involved in the sequence of events.  Maybe the Council used a Russian nuke as part of the ongoing battle, or tricked Kemmler onto the test site, like a grander-scale version of Morgan and Shagnasty.

To borrow a line from Jaime and Adam, I consider this one "Unconfirmed, but plausible."

[peregrine]

A theory I have no evidence whatsoever to support, but could possibly fit,

Perhaps Kemmler managed to pull off the Darkhallow.  But perhaps it was diverted to a mostly deserted part of Russia so there wouldn't be the death toll needed to fuel his ascension.  A failed Darkhallow could weaken Kemmler enough to make it possible to kill him off for good.  Especially if whatever he did to keep himself from getting killed had to be turned off so he could fundamentally change himself to ascend.

[groinkick]

A theory I have no evidence whatsoever to support, but could possibly fit,

Perhaps Kemmler managed to pull off the Darkhallow.  But perhaps it was diverted to a mostly deserted part of Russia so there wouldn't be the death toll needed to fuel his ascension.  A failed Darkhallow could weaken Kemmler enough to make it possible to kill him off for good.  Especially if whatever he did to keep himself from getting killed had to be turned off so he could fundamentally change himself to ascend.

I could see that.  Or they struck when he was vulnerable the same way Harry cracked Cowl in the jaw with his staff.